This gentlemen seems to express his sincere concern for others who are interested in owning a corvette. Thank you for your time and effort and especially the good wise advice.
Great video,been watching alot of these. Very helpful, but bums me out at same time cause I've been looking at a 2000 FRC vette as my 1st. Keep up the great content.
I literally just purchased a 01 Z06 yesterday. Found your channel repairing my drivers seat. I did my research but missed your video. That info a about the weatherstrip was news to me, thanks.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm a Corvette lover and I've been following you for a year now. I live in Canada and I hope one day I can have my own Corvette.
I've had my 2007 C6 for 3 years. The dealer I purchased out from also choices all of the service and has meticulous records. I'll have to check on the torque tubes and balancer during its next service inspection. Thanks for the awesome advice!
Fantastic video you hit the most important things! I own a c6 I replaced the balancer. It was hard to find the Abs system, but I did find it on eBay. If you have a C6 change the rear differential fluid!
Very good advice! I purchased a 2003 z06 with 22000 miles, very clean car , all stock, (garage queen probably) What i should be doing first to make sure it’s up to date and not have problems later! Thank you !
My harmonic balancer failed last week :( only had it for 3 months but man was it an absolute joy to drive. Luckily just lost my ac belt. I took off the serpentine and gonna replace it and already replaced the tensioner with ac Delco. Bought an ati HB so hopefully after this repair I’ll be solid... can’t wait to drive her again :(
The last comment, about garage queens, applies to all cars, in particular my 96 C4. When I purchased it, the average annual mileage was just over 2000 miles. I've replaced multiple devices, and one or two more than once. Up side, I have a dependable reader, but still finding the bill going up with new failures of one thing or another. My annual expenses, for repairs, runs around $900.
Wow!! I had zero idea those weather strips are so hard to get and so expensive! During the winter, I keep my windows down a bit. And I just put Dielectric Silicone Grease (GM Part No. 12345579) on everything rubber. I bought mine new and hope to keep all that stuff in good shape for a long time to come.
I am a businessman and am here to EARN money for my business and my family...the keyword being EARN, not TAKE. :) Thank you so much for your kind words! Lyle
Very good info. I appreciate it. I have an 04 Commerative Edition. Now I know with the F55, it's going to cost me in the future. I think I'm good for now. I have 27,000 plus miles.
Curious whether C&S offers Corvette inspections for buyers and said cost. Greatly enjoy your presentations - you should be on Corvette Hall of Fame for helping others.
Man I tell you, I got a very low mileage 2000. Two oil changes, Goodyear pilots. Runs like a dream. Only problem is the drivers vanity light and drivers door little clip,drive it every day
GREAT INFORMATION AS ALWAYS.....LOVE MY 1999 C5 CORVETTE COUPE.....IT HAS 99K MILES...TORCH RED....GOT IT 2 YEARS AGO FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER....80 YEAR OLD DOCTOR.....HE HAS REPLACED EVERYTHING.....GOT THE CAR 8K BECAUSE HE HAD KNEE SURGERY AND WANTED TO SELL......
Thank you for the reply. It's not a leaking problem It's just to replace fuel pump. So just a cut large enough to do the pump. Then patch under carpet. I see some mustangs have a removable panel built from factory
I love your video's Lyle! Been fully bit by the corvette bug after renting a C7 and C8. I'm loving your content and search for your videos specifically on RU-vid! C8 is my dream car but I would have to trade my other dream car which is 2016 Mustang Convertible GT, so I'll be focusing on having both my Mustang and a C5 or C6 to satisfy my Corvette obsession. Open to suggestions from viewers in same boat! Thank you all!
Absolutely correct on the Garage Queen with 20k mileage. Went to look/buy a C4 with 25k mileage and maybe a few oil changes. This car was just plain horrible in every aspect but the worst part was the 26 year old tires, my God it was Fred Flintstone Driving, that rubber was rock hard. So, bought a 08 with 59k mileage and a night/day difference.
Its important to keep in mind the EBCM for the c5 corvette is discontinued for ALL c5 corvettes, not just the 99 and earlier. The key difference is that the 99 and earlier circuit board is coated some kind of resin presumably to protect it from moisture damage, but makes it impossible to repair. The 00+ is not coated therefore is more repairable. Having said that, it appears the 00+ has a higher failure rate. Either way, its a major down fall for the c5. But also these parts are becoming discontinued on the earlier c6 vettes also, along with various other control modules.
Agreed that all of the C5 modules are no longer available. I have not seen the "module death" in the 01-up cars that the earlier version exhibited. The percentage of later module that are unrebuildable is tiny--less than 5% in our experience. The earlier module's boards are contained in clear silicone and getting them apart is almost impossible--even after you remove the silicone with heat. Lyle
Excellent advice. One other issue worth mentioning is the 1997 - 2004 manual transmissions and the 1997 - 2000 automatic transmissions have the "Steering Column Lockout" problem. Relatively easy and inexpensive fix that prevent the unexpected need for a tow truck if the steering column locks up.
John- you are 100% correct about the steering column issue. The only reason I left it out was that there is a reliable and inexpensive fix for that problem--nothing that would keep you from buying a particular car. :) Lyle
Mine had the wobbling balancer when I bought it but I did notice it before purchasing. It was a little more work than I expected but it went okay. Like this guy said a shop will charge quite a bit to do it but if I had it to do over I'd take it to the shop.
Lyle- Love the channel. Can you comment here or make a video on the best places to buy a Corvette? Private Party, Dealer in a specific geography, online? You mention things to watch out for which is awesome, but are there types of sellers that are more trustworthy than others? Or specific types to stay away from? I'm looking for a C6 Grand Sport, but worries about buying from Northern states and/or online without actually seeing/inspecting the car in person. Thanks!
I'm looking for a C6,08-10 right now,I wanna buy it in California and drive it back to PA for a nice road trip adventure with the wife but this got me thinking,maybe not so much.
Would of liked to hear you cover the ECBM because " Service Active Handling or Traction Control" & GM screwed us by no longer making them my C6 had this situation in at the dealer over 27 times including the day I took delivery in 2005.
Great comments on the C5 and C6. I own a C6 currently but thinking of selling it and looking into a C3. Somewhere in the '74-'78 range. A little advice on these would be nice. Such as rust issue and how to look for it, such as bird cage and major frame points.
I will plan on making that video in the near future, but in the meantime remember that a pre-purchase inspection by a knowledgeable shop is your best insurance against such issues. Lyle
C5 if you want to save a few bucks, or if you really prefer the pop-up head lights. C6 if you want the updatesd styling, or if you want a better 6 speed automatic with slapshift, you want the bigger LS3 in the 08+. Outside of age, miles, styling and price there isn't a huge difference between C5s and C6s.
That US Flag C3 Looks really Cool, lets made a Video about it. 👍All Vettes got some Issues, because they not built like german or Japan Qualitywise, the worst are magride, leafsprings, stockbrakes, radiators they not like up to date. 🇺🇸🤔
I've owned three 99 C5's. One of which I've owned since brand new. Both my younger brothers purchased the other 2 from me. One of my brothers kept The FRC. The two still in our possession for 21 years and 16 years are still fantastic cars. None of them had any of the issues Lyle described.
Well thanks for talking me out of getting a C5.... And that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll just stick to restoring my 72. Much more affordable repairs.
The guy on one of the channels, Carhub, or something like that, had his balancer go out. It was his worst nightmare. If I remember right they are plastic from the factory or at least part of it is. Way to go Chevrolet! I don't know much about vettes yet. Do they have a transaxle on the C4 and C5? Is that the reason for a torque tube? I had a 63 Pontiac Tempest with that. I was told the prop shaft was flexible and could break any time. It never gave me any trouble. It was the shifter that killed the car. The shifter rod bushing (2 piece neoprene) went out. It was irreplaceable.
Nothing against a '98--fantastic cars if you already own one. If a new Corvette buyer is looking for a C5, though, I steer them toward the '01 and newer cars to avoid the EBCM problems that the '98s can have. If yours is healthy and happy, all the better! Lyle
I should stop watching Videos like that. I have also a 9/2000. And watching Videos like that is like watching a Horror Movie. After that i think the whole time "Damn, whats happend if one of those Parts break in my Car?"
Thanks for the buying tips. I am surprised you didn't mention the "dropped valve" issue with the LS7 motor. Do you recommend replacing the valve guides on LS7 motors regardless of the model year as some folks do? Certainly don't want to blow up an engine.
Thank you. I have an 09 C6 . Windshield/ roof weather strip is cracked. Also I have a vibration at 55mph .I am having the torque tube checked out and the rear suspension. Your thoughts
